RI Man Sentenced in Boston Court to 10 Years for Role in Major National Fentanyl Trafficking

RI Man Sentenced in Boston Court to 10 Years for Role in Major National Fentanyl Trafficking

A Rhode Island man was sentenced in federal court in Boston for his role in a fentanyl trafficking organization involved in the manufacturing and distribution of fentanyl pills that spanned across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, Texas and North and South Carolina.

Erik Ventura, 36, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to 10 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In May 2024, Ventura pleaded guilty to a superseding indictment charging him with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. In July 2024, Jasdrual Perez pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 16, 2024. Ventura and Perez were arrested and charged in February 2022 and have remained in custody since.

In September 2019, an investigation began into a drug trafficking organization (DTO) led by Jasdrual "Josh" Perez, based in Providence, Rhode Island, known to manufacture large quantities of fentanyl pills designed to appear like pharmaceutical-grade oxycodone/Percocet pills and distribute them and other controlled substances throughout the United States.

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Perez is a nephew of Providence police chief Colonel Oscar Perez. He is considered one of the "biggest" and "most dangerous" drug kingpins to face sentencing in U.S. District Court, Boston, according to federal prosecutors.

Ventura was a trusted member of the DTO and maintained one of the drug stash locations. Ventura transported cash and kilogram quantities of drugs to and from New York on behalf of the DTO, distributed thousands of fentanyl pills to wholesale customers in Massachusetts and was paid by the DTO for his work as a drug distributor. Ventura also distributed fentanyl and cocaine to his own customers, including one who suffered a non-fatal overdose at a DTO stash house where Ventura resided. In February 2022, two industrial grade pill presses, approximately 20 kilograms of powdered fentanyl, pressed fentanyl pills and other items, including kilograms of pill binder used in the large-scale manufacturing of clandestinely pressed fentanyl pills, were seized.

United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; and Jonathan Wlodyka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston, made the announcement Friday.